Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted Wednesday afternoon he collided with a tree just minutes after helping a family trying to drive through a snow-covered road. He warned NC drivers to stay off the roads during the snow storm. Screenshot of tweet

Dale Earnhardt Jr. tweeted Wednesday afternoon he collided with a tree just minutes after helping a family trying to drive through a snow-covered road. He warned NC drivers to stay off the roads during the snow storm. Screenshot of tweet

Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. has to watch out for snow. Here’s his warning to NC drivers.

Icy roads spare no one from the chance of a crash — not even NASCAR drivers. That’s something Dale Earnhardt Jr. learned the hard way during Wednesday’s snowstorm.

The NASCAR legend and Kannapolis native tweeted in the afternoon he collided with a tree. The collision happened just minutes after Earnhardt helped a family trying to drive through a snow-covered road.

Never miss a local story.

He wasn’t the only driver to have a collision during the winter weather. The state Highway Patrol reported more than 500 crashes across North Carolina by noon. In Charlotte, police responded to more than 140 wrecks related to the snow by midday.

Gov. Roy Cooper warned of increasingly hazardous conditions as evening nears and temperatures continue to drop. He advised people who went to work to consider leaving early, if they could.

NC stay off the roads today/tonight. 5 minutes after helping these folks I center punched a pine tree. All good. Probably just needs a new alignment. pic.twitter.com/OfA5Q28jew